Coimbatore-based NGO No Food Waste begins its operations in T. Nagar

Padmanaban Gopalan of 'No Food Waste' and his team launch a new app in Coimbatore on October 16, 2015, to collect excess food from weddings and parties and distribute it to the poor. Photo: M. Periasamy

Padmanaban Gopalan of 'No Food Waste' and his team launch a new app in Coimbatore on October 16, 2015, to collect excess food from weddings and parties and distribute it to the poor. Photo: M. Periasamy   | Photo Credit: M_PERIASAMY

People can make a call to this network if they have excess food

Three months ago, Coimbatore-based voluntary group No Food Waste extended its operations to Chennai. Since then, it has been focussing on localities in and around T. Nagar, including Nungambakkam, Kodamabakkam, Saligramam and Vadapalani. There are plans to increase its area of operations in the city.

No Food Waste maintains a help-desk (90877 90877), through which those who wish to hand over untouched excess food can inform the network.

The desk will seek details such as the type of cuisine, the time it was cooked and the quantity of food. One can also inform the help-desk about those who are in need of food.

“We are thankful to the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration, P. Amudha. She and her team extended their support by providing us two vans for this cause. Also, the Greater Chennai Corporation helped us by permitting us to park these vans and keep our utensils at its shelter home in Amnjikarai,” says R. Arun Kumar, a member of the group who is in charge of the operations in Chennai.

The group collects food from other localities as well. But it expects the donor to bear fuel expenses towards conveyance.

“Recently, food was collected from Sholinganallur and the donor took care of the conveyance. That food was distributed in Taramani. At times, we bear conveyance charges while collecting food from locations beyond T. Nagar” says Arun Kumar. The group prefers to avoid food which has grated coconut or coconut milk, as such preparations can get stale quicker. It also requests donors to reheat the food before handed it over.

By the end of this month, members of No Food Waste are planning to meet proprietors of hotels, catering units and marriage halls to let them know about the initiative. It also has plans to install community refrigerators.

“Over the last three months, the Chennai wing of No Food Waste prevented excess food, covering 3,000 plates, from going into the dustbins,” says Arun Kumar

For details, call R. Arun Kumar at 80561 42349.

No Food Waste was founded by Padmanaban Gopalan in Coimbatore along with two of his friends in 2015. The network has its operations in Salem, Dharmapuri, Tiruchi and in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.